Rook
by CrypticNiteMare
Summary: Everybody knows about the Ravens and the Crows, but what about the Rook?


"C'mon, Qrow! You're so slow!" The black haired boy laughed, his hands already picking out the next stable rock on the cliff He held himself close to the wall, his feet moving as if he were walking on horizontal land. On his face was a wolfish grin, as if he wasn't in any sort of danger.

Several feet below there was another young boy in his mid-teens, who did not share the same enthusiasm, clutching to each hold like a lifeline, and that was because they were. The winds grew only stronger the further they climbed up, placing Qrow's unruly gray bangs in a sort of dance party on his forehead. The rustling against his forehead did little to help his concentration in getting up the dang cliff. Young Qrow wanted to scratch his head in amazement that the boy 20 feet above him was moving like a squirrel up a tree. Although, if he lost his balance for even one second, Qrow would be freefalling to his certain death hundreds of feet down.

Oh, the joys.

"R-Rook!" Qrow called out, "You're going too fast. Don't leave me!"

That caused a stop in the falling pebbles above him. Qrow hesitantly brought his head up to see Rook no longer moving upwards and instead was making strict eye contact with Qrow, grinning insanely. _Oh no,_ Qrow thought, _that_ was the grin that always got the boys in trouble.

Then Qrow saw as the boy let go of his holding and fell. Qrow was still with his eyes wide staring at the mass dropping his way, his heart beating out of his chest as a half second later he grabbed onto a hold just a few feet above Qrow. If Qrow weren't in such shock, he would've already fallen from a heart attack.

Rook kept his wild smile, "Could never leave ya, brother. Now c'mon, I'll show you the ropes… Er, holdings," he finished sheepishly at his own attempt at a pun.

Qrow withstood the enormous desire to roll his pale red eyes and yell at the kid, but to be honest he was more relived than anything else, "Real cute, Rook, now can we get to it?" The panic in Qrow's eyes quelled some when Rook came down, but he still wanted to get on solid ground sometime in the near future.

"Be my guest, birdy," Rook stuck his tongue out at the gray haired teenager.

Qrow narrowed his eyes, "You're named after a bird too, jackass."

"Yeah, well, nobody knows the Rook."

They climbed in silence after that, left with those last words in the conversations. Qrow huffed, climbing each rock, staring at the feet of his younger brother.

 _Half-brother._

After his twin sister, Raven, and he were born, Qrow had always been told that his mother was too weak. She had passed away after bringing forth life. It was a story that made him a little sad, that his life ended one, but he never dwelled extensively on the matter. It stung too much.

That was until he found out his dear mother had actually committed suicide months after the twin's birth. Qrow winced at the thought, still aware that he should be purely focused on the climb in front of him, but Rook got to him.

Rook was a mere year and a half younger than Qrow and Raven, but it was still too long to be considered relevant in accordance to the twins. He beheld their father's jet-black hair and sharp features, even at such a young age. But that was where the similarities ended. In comparison to Raven's crimson eyes or even Qrow's pale red eyes, Rook had a gentler feature upon him. He took up his mother's purple eyes, though they sometimes even resembled a dark blue in the sun. His kindness was known throughout the tribe and that made him a sucker. What made it even worse was that their father led the tribe.

Qrow's chest tightened, not from exhaustion, but from the pity he felt towards his younger brother. In all honesty, he wanted to be like Raven or their father and not care for Rook. Qrow heard time and time again the rumors of Rook's mother being the reason his own mother took her life. She couldn't handle being used and discarded and their father had her twisted around his fingers anyway. Qrow could piece together himself what happened, but he liked to sleep at night. Plus, they were just rumors, right?

Still, as Raven bored hatred and his father held indifference, Qrow couldn't bring it upon himself to hate the boy, his brother. Rook had nothing to do with the twin's mother's suicide. Rook had nothing to be ashamed of when he acted in compassion rather than act in spite. He was nothing like a Branwen, but that wasn't his fault.

"We're here FINALLY!" Rook exclaimed above Qrow. Qrow looked up to see the boy's lower body hanging as he picked himself up, his black pants hardly reaching to his ankles. Rook was getting too big for his clothes, but in the tribe you earned what you got. If father believed you were undeserving, you showed it. It made Qrow frown for just a split second before Rook's face reemerged over the cliff.

Rook offered Qrow his hand, "Let's go, we haven't got all day."

Qrow wanted to bite his hand but instead eagerly took up on the offer, tired of hanging from the side of a damn cliff all day. Once up, he used his now free hand to slick back his gray locks. He sighed, "Alright, Rook, what's up here that is _so_ important?"

Qrow looked over to Rook, who was now just sitting smack middle of the land. His arms were even leaner than Qrow's with hardly any meat on them. He was built slim, with no much of anything to him, making him a difficult target to hit but also wore himself out a little quicker than others. That's why Qrow had no idea where the kid managed the energy to lug his body weight up a cliff.

Qrow leaned forward as he walked, trudging over to Rook before letting out a breath and letting himself plop down next to his brother. Qrow closed his eyes like Rook and let the now gentle breeze cool him. He and Rook sat in silence, enjoying their brotherly company.

"Dad's not too fond of me, is he?" Rook finally asked aloud, not directed at Qrow but to the wind around him. It was as if he just commented that the sky was blue, not even the slightest speck of emotion betrayed him.

Still, Qrow opened his eyes and took it as a cue.

"Hey, that's not-"

Rook's eye opened, purple meeting red in a defiant match, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I thought I was supposed to be the big brother? The one who was scary?" Qrow whined, unable to keep his attitude up. Time and time again, Qrow silenced when Rook looked at him like that, it was as if there was no fighting that part of him. The part that spoke pure, undeniable fact.

Rook smiled, "You are my big brother. Doesn't mean you can lie to me though."

Qrow watched as Rook simply let it all go and closed his eyes again. Instead of leaning back, Qrow leaned forward, his lap crossed and letting his hand tap his arm, reminding him that he was here and not dreaming. It was hardly ever they left the camp, only for scouting reasons only. But, sometimes, when their father was more on the happy scale, be it a good booze or a good raid, he'd let them play in the forest around the camp. Except now they were pushing it by climbing a _freaking mountain._

"He doesn't hate you, you're just different," Qrow said indignantly, "You aren't like… anyone in the tribe."

"I'm like my mother," Rook said matter-of-factly before faltering, "At least that's what the I hear others say."

Qrow raised a curious eyebrow, "What do ya mean?"

Rook sighed in a way that reminded Qrow of someone being sat on, like it was painful to breathe, "They said she was too happy, too nice. That's why…" Rook bit his lip, an agonizing memory on his lips, "That's why dad picked my mom. He wanted to show her pain and misery, give her a reason to fight."

Qrow's eyes widened grossly at what Rook just accused their father of. His father was not a nice man, not by a long shot. He led a tribe of bandits for crying out loud! But to do… _that_ to someone? To destroy what they were stem and root? For what?

"And that's why you have a little brother," Rook smiled ironically.

Qrow didn't say anything. It gave reason why Rook's mom wasn't around anymore and even more reason as to why his wasn't either. His father played games with people and disposed of them easiest when he no longer had fun. He got his kids, his future, from it so why care about the body that brought them into this world? Qrow's fist tightened against the ground, his knuckles scraping the earth beneath him.

"Why do you look so mad, Qrow?" Rook questioned genuinely, feeling Qrow's emotions seeping out from the teenager's body. Qrow shot his look at Rook, to find some sliver of him joking, anything to ground Qrow that his brother wasn't this completely _blind_.

Qrow voiced his thoughts, "You've gotta be kidding me, Rook. Why am I mad?!" He stomped up, anger searing through his eyes, only becoming darker by the minute. "You basically tell me dad is an animal but for some reason _you're_ the target! For everything! Half of that problem would be fixed if you just defended yourself."

Qrow's body heaved out the fury, his breaths heavy and his fists only clenching tighter, whitening his knuckles. He looked down at Rook, who only simply tilted his head to the side, analyzing Qrow's demeanor with his mouth half open, treading carefully.

Qrow's eyes narrowed, "Say something," he spat.

"Just because my dad and my upbringing is evil, doesn't mean I have to be." Rook stated, his head tilted as he was still drinking in Qrow's burst. Rook looked through Qrow, marveling the now setting sun, "One day, I'm gonna leave this place, Qrow. I'll be okay."

Qrow's now aching fist untightened some, realizing the weight of his words, "No one leaves the tribe, Rook. Only in-"

"Body bags. Right." Rook finished, not looking the least bit impressed. "Dad doesn't like me, I bring shame to him. So, when I'm strong enough, I'll leave, no one the wiser."

"Oh yeah, smart guy?" Qrow challenged, his older sibling authority rearing its head, "And where would you go?"

Now Rook was the mute one, his eyes shut heavily for a second before biting his lip, "Beacon Academy."

"Be-BEACON ACADEMY?"

Rook placed his hands over his ears and recoiled, "Geez, Qrow, wanna yell it louder so the grimm can hear?"

Qrow's face flushed red, "Why do you wanna go to Beacon?"

"Oh, to own a nice shoe shop-WHY DO YOU THINK I WANNA GO TO BEACON?" Rook slapped back, his voice heavy with irritation. Qrow hardly ever heard his brother speak in such a tone.

"I want to be a huntsmen."

The words he spoke slipped into a stream of the wind and carried it away. Qrow stood warily over Rook, who seemed to once again be challenging him with his eyes. The gears in Qrow's head turned, realizing that this wasn't something Rook thought of on the spot, it was something that weighed on him for some time. He had legitimately thought about what he wanted to do, knowing the consequences of voicing his thoughts out loud. Rook trusted Qrow.

"You… want to be a huntsmen."

Rook nodded, confirming his older brother's question.

Qrow sized up his younger brother, "You're a dead man if anyone finds out."

Now was the time that Rook threw up a dark eyebrow questioningly, "Oh? Is someone going to find out?"

Qrow flushed, annoyance was now in full swing. Rook, his little brother, just confessed to Qrow, who was, for lack of a better word, prince to their bandit tribe, that he wanted to be a huntsmen. Qrow thought about how his fellow tribe members came back sometimes or how they wouldn't come back at all. His dad chalked it all up to huntsmen. They were a plague to the bandit lifestyle since they fought on opposite sides. Rook wanted to fight against the tribe, not for it.

"No," Qrow spilled through grit teeth.

Rook smiled, thriving in the battle he just won, he placed his arms behind his head and laid down, "Then I have nothing to worry about. Now sit down, shut up, and watch the magic."

Qrow turned his back and let himself drop, he huffed, "It's just a sunset."

"Qrow?"

"Yeah?"

"Didn't I say shut up?"

 **Hey, guys! Thanks for reading this first chapter through to the end. I've been watching RWBY since it first came out and I've recently been inspired by Volume 5 to try my hand at fan fiction, since what else will keep me occupied waiting for Volume 6? Anyway, I personally am not a fan of OCs but for some reason I found that Rook could be the perfect backstory of Qrow and Raven as teenagers. This story won't be an epic but I think it'll get the point across.**

 **Anyway! If you enjoyed it, give it a follow. If you want me to hear you, write a review. I will read all of them religiously and might even change some things if enough people bring something to light.**

 **Next chapter goes more into the Branwen trio's relationship.**

 **Later!**

 **-Cryptic**


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